Principles of Visual Communication

Communication design is emerging to be one of the hottest topics in the realm of mass communication but how is it different from other forms of communication and in what ways do we see it changing how we consume information? Let us delve deeper to understand it through the principles of communication design. 

What is communication?

Communication is the process of transferring one’s knowledge, thoughts, feelings, or ideas to another person. Humans are undoubtedly social beings and need to live in communities in society to survive. Therefore, it is of absolute importance for them to communicate with each other. One starts to communicate the moment they are born. Although a human baby does not start talking until a year, they communicate their needs and wants nevertheless through eyes, blabbering, or body language.

Communication is a convoluted yet simple process of making the other person understand you. It can be verbal or nonverbal, written or visual, or just body language without any other apparent sign. However, there are a few elements that stay true across all forms of communication. The seven elements namely, sender, encoding, message, medium, receiver, decoding, and feedback are vital for a successful conversation. They can be briefly defined as:

• Sender: A sender is a source from which the information or the message is being transferred.
• Encoding: A sender moulds the information according to the communication system they are referring to and encodes the message according to that system. For example, when one speaks, language becomes a medium in which different things are assigned different signs such as an apple in English and pomme in French.

• Message: Message refers to the ideas or information that are being transferred.

• Medium: Medium refers to the mode or channel through which a message is transferred. For example, emails, graphics, or communication through symbols.

• Receiver: The receiver is at the other end of the conversation who receives the information.

• Decoding: The encoded message sent by the source is decoded by the receiver using the same coding tools used by the sender in order to comprehend the message. However, the receiver’s viewpoint, experience, and style of interpretation play a vital role in this step.

• Feedback: The process of communication can never be completed before the receiver responds to the received message. The feedback of the receiver decides the completion of the process.

Visual Communication and its types

Visual communication is the practice of communication through visual elements such as videos, pie charts, videos, infographics, etc. One can infer that any communication that employs one’s sense of sight to deliver a message without the usage of any verbal cues is termed visual communication. A language is a continually evolving man-made tool that has developed in alignment with human societies. It is designed to work in a coalition with the cultural, social, political, and historical paradigms and cater to the needs of a specific community. Therefore, it can vary based on these presupposed premises that go into the fundamental creation of language so much that the same sign can have extreme connotations that contradict each other depending on the context and location. 

In such a scenario, visual communication is an effective method to get across one’s ideas in a clear and concise manner. Even when two individuals do not understand each other’s language, they can easily decipher visuals to understand each other. The human mind registers visuals with way more ease than words or texts. The advancement in technology that has been realised by human civilisation in the last few decades has impacted the ways and forms of communication as well. It has led to the emergence of new types of visual forms of communication on a daily basis. Moreover, visual aids have proved to be an intriguing method to make constructive communication.  A few of them are described below:

• Graphs: Despite the numerous technological inventions, data management and comprehension continues to be a tedious task. Even though the software can store and regulate data for you, it cannot automatically make it seem intellectually stimulating to a person. But graphs have the ability to compare data easily while simultaneously guarding the human mind against the monotonicity of data management. For example, a bar graph or pie chart. 

• Maps: Maps have always remained an effective element of visual communication. Even before Google took over and electronified maps and GPS systems, maps already played an important role in travelling and exploring geographical locations. They can also be used to showcase specific issues of a community such as which geographical locations have an abundance of resources or which areas of the country are the most fertile.

• Models: Growing up, every student is taught how an atom is the building unit of the universe but it is sometimes difficult to understand how they work. Another example of 3d visual aids, models come in handy at such a time. Models are micro versions of a vision that can be used to make a point or understand a concept. Other examples can be the solar system or miniature models of building designs.

• Photographs: Photographs are another basic element of visual communication. English author Edward Bulwer Lytonn said that a pen is mightier than a sword. However, a picture is worth a thousand words. They can rejoice in the remains of experiences from a long time ago and communicate a thousand emotions through them or pieces of evidence at a crime scene. They can also be presented as snippets of reality from a backward town and used to compare with the sky-reaching buildings in a city. 

Five essential principles of visual communication

Visual communication, in general, helps to visualise better and put things in perspective. However, one must understand that putting a lot of unnecessary information might make these visual aids look cluttered and more difficult to apprehend. Therefore, one must keep in mind the five basic principles of visual communication in order to smoothen the process and deliver information efficiently. But what are these principles of visual communication that hold the potential to significantly impact and alter the entire process of communication? The five principles are as follows:

• Clarity: Clarity is one of the fundamental principles of visual communication. Visual communication heavily relies on the receiver’s sense of perception and interpretation of the message without any difficulty. If the medium becomes too complicated for the target audience to understand, the visual aids will lose their value and meaning. For better and effective communication, the purpose of the visual aid must be clear and concise. For example, if an ad for a media campaign does not use appropriate visuals, it can create a sense of confusion among the audience and mislead them which in turn, will affect the brand value inversely.

• Design: Design encompasses the most fundamental properties of visual communication and design. All the visual elements must balance each other for precise output. Whether it is social media ads or graffiti arts on walls, the design must consider the viewpoint, understanding, and experiences of the target audience to create an effective composition. Even though it is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, a faulty design is an objective entity. For example, a visual message through memes might look unprofessional and out of place in a boardroom meeting regarding architecture.

• Contrast: Contrast is yet another important element of visual communication. Any art is impactful when it is successful in creating a balance between its elements. They must be arranged in a manner that the elements complement each other instead of outshining one another. One must understand how to put different colours, sizes, shapes, textures etc. to create a laying impact. They can be used to adjust focal points and highlight elements in agreement with their purpose. 

• Proximity: Proximity refers to the relationship shared by these elements of visual communication. Elements that interact with each other and positively add to the design should be kept in close proximity so that they are comprehensible to any layman. In literature, one studies the ideas of the philosopher Plato and Aristotle in relation to each other and therefore, they add context to the ideas and make them more memorable. Similarly, connected elements should be put together for greater clarity.

• Rhythm: Rhythm is the last yet essential principle of visual communication. Any artist or musician would understand the role of rhythm-like structure in any artistic piece. Although it is conventionally related to music, this principle plays an important part in communication as well. When one creates a visual aid visual message, the elements must connect with others and flow without jargon. 

Visual Communication and Society

Visual communication is the most common form of communication in the world right now. Even though it does not take into view the predicaments of the visually impaired or differently abled community, it is, nevertheless, an effective form of communication. Especially with the incoming of various communication software such as skype or zoom or instant messaging apps such as Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, visual communication has transgressed the temporal and geographical boundaries. One of the most interesting examples remains the use of these platforms during lockdowns when not only apps like these were a reminder of people existing outside one’s four walls, but also schools, offices, and colleges employed this communication software to function. Audiovisual communication through these platforms became a ray of hope in the pandemic.